Realization
by Nagiru
Summary: [7th Part of the Starting Over Series] Somewhere along the way of their relationship, Kaito stopped being Shinichi's clingy friend and became… Something else. And, apparently, Shinichi had never been Kaito's friend, and always something else. [Sequel/Second Half to Starting Over - not required having read the first one, but recommended]
**Notes:** I guess this could be considered the continuation of "Starting over" or something. I did kind of start it thinking like that. That being, this is a shonen-ai fanfiction between Shinichi and Kaito.

For those who did not read "Starting Over": Shinichi took the antidote, called KID and told him about how he was Conan, and, in exchange, Kaito revealed himself to the detective with the mental promise of winning his heart.

 **Disclaimer:** Detective Conan, Magic Kaito and their respective characters are not mine. What _is_ mine is this piece of fiction, this story and silliness as it is. Everything else belongs to Aoyama Gosho.

 **Warnings:** possible strange English (I'm learning); possible OOC; shonen-ai; no experience in the matters of relationships.

 **Summary:** Somewhere along the way of their relationship, Kaito stopped being Shinichi's clingy friend and became… Something else. And, apparently, Shinichi had never been Kaito's friend, and always _something else_.

* * *

Shinichi sighed, leaning against the warm body by his side reflexively. Since the night he woke up in his own body once again, he could usually find Kaito close by. Today was no different — he looked up, and, yep, there it was, that knowing smirk that told him the magician was probably up to something Shinichi would _not like_.

"What?" he asked wearily, even if he didn't make any movement to distance himself from the other. He liked the warmth of another human body, and Kaito was always glad to provide it to him. Even with no prompt at all.

"What 'what', Shin-chan? I'm not doing anything!" the singsong tone of Kaito's voice did him no favors at all, and Shinichi just glared harder when the answer didn't change. "Oh, alright. But it wasn't even that bad! You should learn to appreciate surprises, Shin-chan."

Rolling his eyes, Shinichi prompted him to continue. "Yes, and?"

"Well, you know how Hakuba is going to England today, right? I was thinking, as we're already passing by Ekoda, I could just give him a parting gift. As his girlfriend's best friend, of course. I have to make sure he doesn't forget Aoko while away!"

"… Yes. And the fact Aoko is going with him…?"

"Well, you know, just something extra?" he didn't even try to smother his laughter this time, and Shinichi couldn't really blame him. Sometimes, Hakuba did annoy him. So what if Kaito _was_ KID? He didn't have to repeat it _every time_ they met! If he was so sure, he should just manage to get him in a heist. The fact that Shinichi hadn't even tried to arrest him outside a heist had nothing to do with it — it was just no use, Kaito would never let any proof slip, and just that.

"You're impossible, Kaito." He sighed again, but a smile played on his face now. "Now, if you're finished, I remember you promising to show me an _'exciting show you'll never imagine'_ or another?"

"Why, yes, tantei-kun! I'm glad you remember!" with a clap of hands and a broad grin, Shinichi found himself on the other side of the now-clean table, Kaito's arm around his shoulder. "I'll make sure not to disappoint you, but I don't even have to say it. When was the last time I was even slightly less than what you expected?"

"Never." _Unfortunately_. Even when Shinichi was _afraid_ to expect something from Kaito, he was always underestimating him somehow. "But you know that. You do remind me of that every single time."

He knew Kaito was smirking, even if he couldn't see it, and aimed a slap at his dangling hand. It was somewhat tricky, trying to move around the city with someone clinging to you, but Shinichi had learnt the best way to do it months ago, after Kaito absolutely refused to let him go. In the beginning, they walked as two different people, but while they got closer in their relationship, so they did in the physical sense. Kaito was touchy-feeling, and Shinichi realized he was touched starved after being a child for so long, and they just… Became like that. Nowadays, it was just strange to be around Kaito and not be touching him somehow.

Actually, it was strange not to be _around Kaito_ at all. Since their newfound friendship, they were always in contact. Not always in person, for they still had classes in different cities, but they were always talking somehow. Kaito's number made its way into Shinichi's phone without notice, and Shinichi woke up every day to a new puzzle made especially for him. In the days Kaito wouldn't pop up after school, Shinichi would receive a call or a message reminding him to eat something, and sometimes he would even receive little gifts on his door house — gadgets that helped somehow to catch murderers, tips to someone he would be suspicious of for a case or another, toys and games, books of mystery. Shinichi was never bored anymore, and never forgot a meal. He even got some home cooked food sometimes (not made by Kaito, but by his mother; apparently, Kaito was as bad a cook as Shinichi himself).

What Shinichi liked better, however, was that he was only alone when he wanted to be now. He had been living alone since he was fourteen, and he could survive on his own, but sometimes it got _lonely_. Now — now Kaito was there for his meals, joking and playing around. Kaito didn't mind that he wanted to talk about murder cases, or that he loved to babble about Sherlock Holmes, or some new puzzle. Kaito actually gave him a challenge in mind games, and liked to play chess with him from time to time, and was teaching him how to speak French and German. Kaito was… Kaito was something else.

Something else, Shinichi realized, he was falling in love for. He didn't notice when it happened, just that it happened. Sometime along the way, Kaito stopped being the thief-slash-magician that showed up uninvited and touched him whether he liked or not, and became the face he longed to see each day, the warmth he wanted by his side. He guessed it had to have happened in the last month or two, after his break up with Ran — that Kaito helped him through, of course. Something else, Shinichi could even add, he didn't _mind_ falling in love with.

Shinichi actually _liked_ the idea of loving Kaito. Kaito was someone easy to like. He was loyal, fun, surprising, and smart. And he was even honest to Shinichi, even if not to a lot of other people. Sometimes he wouldn't tell him little things, but never things that really mattered, just those small things he wanted to surprise him with — like, where they were going now. All Shinichi knew was that they were going to a show, but with Kaito that could mean _anything_.

Anything — from a circus to a… Sherlock-themed deduction challenge, as it turned out.

"Kaito." Shinichi breathed as he snapped out of his wandering thoughts. They were standing in front of a large café with low lighting and lots of people dressed as detectives. And lots of people challenging each other to puzzles and riddles. "How did you…"

"I found about it with Hakuba. It seemed he planned to come before his father called him back to England ASAP." Kaito explained with a shrug. "I thought you would like."

"Like? Kaito, I'm... You didn't have to." Shinichi turned around to look up into Kaito's eyes. "I mean, I know you don't care when I start talking about Sherlock Holmes, but you still don't like him that much, right?"

"Shin-chan. It's not just Holmes. This is about puzzles and riddles. This is challenging and intelligent. It doesn't matter which face they're using. We both love riddles and I thought you would like it, so why wouldn't I bring you with me if I was thinking about coming anyway?" the way Kaito put it made sense, but something about it still rung oddly to Shinichi. Kaito knew how _he_ would like it? Well, yes, of course, but…

Wait.

"Kaito." He didn't know how to ask it. Was there any easy way to ask it that wouldn't end up badly if he was wrong? But… Kaito took him out to eat at least once a week. And he was always taking him places where he wanted to go — to the library, the bookstore, the movies when there was some new horror movie. He took him to ice cream parlors that had exactly the flavor Shinichi liked, and he always had a piece of lemon pie on Fridays when he went to Shinichi's house for the weekend. He was always giving Shinichi gifts, always touching him in the face, arms, hands… He almost never pranked him, and he always told him about whatever new trick he had planned to prank Hakuba with. He also always gave him roses, and was always doing things like opening the door for him. "Are you… Courting me?"

Shinichi didn't know what to think — Kaito _laughed_. He seriously _laughed_. Was that… an affirmative or not? "Well. Courting. Wooing. I… guess you can call that? You know, Shin-chan, I never really thought how I should call it."

… "So you _were_?!"

"Well, yes. I thought you had already realized by now." Admitted Kaito with a small smile that seemed almost shy. "I must say I was getting nervous. I'm trying to win you over for quite a long time now, and I couldn't be sure if it was working or not."

Shinichi sighed — that explained Ran's giggling, Haibara's dry remarks, and Yukiko's glee. They _all_ knew Kaito's intention, didn't they? Women were scary sometimes. He was glad he didn't really see Sonoko anymore since he was back to his body. "I won't even ask what you were planning on doing if I hadn't realized."

"I might just steal you away _literally_?" suggested Kaito with a more confident grin. "I wanted to steal your heart from the beginning. I just came to the conclusion this was the best method."

Shinichi would have slapped him, had he not known it would change nothing at all. And had he really _wanted_ anything to change. Instead, he smiled back at Kaito, turning completely so they were standing face to face and he could grab Kaito's hand. He didn't even care they were still standing in front of the Sherlock Holmes's puzzle challenge, not right now. "Kaito, you're an idiot."

"Yes, but it worked out, didn't it?" he replied cheekily.

Before Shinichi could think in anything to say in response to that, Kaito was leaning forwards and then there were lips pressing against his cheek, brushing on the side of his mouth, and his brain was freezing.

"I'm so happy you realized, Shin-chan. I hope it means you _do_ like me back… Right?" Shinichi still couldn't really think very well, but after noticing Kaito's returning nervousness, he managed to close that short distance and press their lips together in a short peck that reflected his own nerves.

"Yes, stupid, I like you back." He grumbled against Kaito's shocked expression. "You did a perfect job as always, _KID_."

After a few seconds standing so close in silence, Shinichi saw Kaito's happiness fall back in place, and a smirk blossom on _his_ magician's face. He didn't know what Kaito would do, but he had to fight down a blush anyway, and tugged him by the hand to enter the "show" they were supposed to be going to in the first place. They could handle this — they could handle _them_ — after, when they were back in his place, alone.

 _Them_. Shinichi liked the sound of that.


End file.
